Mandarin Hefeweizen | Yakima Brewing Co. / Bert Grant's Ales

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Pours a hazed, honey yellow body with a minimal, offwhite head. Essentially, no lacing.
Aroma is of sweet mandarin oranges, with a malted wheat background.
Mouthfeel has prickly carbonation and reveals a light body.
Taste is orange soda sweet, up front. A yeasty mustiness seems out of place here. The wheat backbone lurks in the background.
A decent fruit weizen, but not topnotch.

This poured to a nice orange color with a medium fluffy head that actually did a reasonable job of lasting. It left some decent lace behind as well.

The smell is of fresh orange and fairly potent. It could probably be toned down a little. The same goes for the taste, although it was a little less potent. The mouthfeel was pretty light as the beer was high in carbonation.

This was very drinkable, although the amount of orange may become too much after a serious number of them.

Although it's labeled as a hefeweizen, and to be sure, there is yeast in there, the taste is more like that of a Belgian-style witbier. And obviously, the addition of the orange flavoring adds to that perception as it replicates the orange peel normally found in wits. It's appearance is also more like a witbier than a hefe, as it's not quite as cloudy with yeast, nor as effervescent. It does give a beautiful appearance, however, with its hazy orange body and creamy white cap. The head also holds quite well and leaves some very nice lace at the outset of the glass. The nose displays an dryish yeastiness that's somewhat bland as opposed to either an authentic Bavarian hefe or a Belgian white; and some distinct orange peel character. It's light and moderately crisp across the palate, leaving it fairly easy to consume as a quick refresher. Subtly sweet wheatish malt appears upfront in the flavor, and it comes alive across the middle with a splash of bright orange fruit. A firm bitterness balances it (although I wonder if a little less would still leave it balanced but with a touch more sweetness?); and it finishes ultimately dry with a lingering note of orange. Despite the name and any comparisons that might be made to different styles of beer, this is an interesting and refreshing beer in its own right. As a spring or summer quencher it receives high marks; but as an all around drinking beer I think it may just fall a little short in its "drinkability" as it offers a little too much distinction to work as a long session beer, and not enough complexity to make you want more than one or two (at least when out of the hot sun). Still, I think this is one of the beers to try from Grant's.

Peach fuzz orange, appears to be mildly carbonated, a ¼ inch off-white head. Ripe oranges with some suggestions of wheat bread on the nose. A tough one to define; wheat malts coupled with sweet orange flavorings. Subtle sweet malts will make up the body, some fresh bread to be noted as well. The finish is creamy and slightly carbonated, yet smooth and sweet. Tough to label this as a true hefe, yet interesting enough to try at least once.

It says "hint" of orange, but I got more than a hint. More like a flat out punch in the face.

The jurys still out on this. On the one hand it is refreshing and would be a nice beer after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day, on the other, I could achieve this experience by leaving the O.J in the fridge a couple of weeks past the exp. date, then drinking it.

A good beer across the board. So often these "fruit flavors added" beers are a disaster, but the orange flavors were pleasantly muted, cohabitating nicely with the soft wheat malt. The orange was more of a suggestion than a flavor, lending a citrus theme to the beer, without overwhelming it. Less orange flavor here than in a spiced witbier. A bit light for November quaffing though - I'd like to revisit this in the summer.

On tap at Papago Brewery, also bought a couple of bottles to compare the difference. Pours a decent amber color, the head portly, frothy in texture and a winsome light tan in color with the lace a nice sealing sheet. Sweet orange as in citrus aroma, malt dominates the nose and quite pleasing to the senses, Start sweet and mostly malt, top middling in feel to the palate. Finish is nicely hopped according to style, moderately acidic and the aftertaste dry and lingering and a nice beer for the desert as its still 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Interesting concept, but the beer didn't hold up well to expectations. It was definitely refreshing to have after a softball game, though.

Appearance: Pale, cloudy straw color. Head was white and about a half inch thick--retention was decent for a weizenbeer.

Aroma: Some citrus notes; not really orangey, though--probably more from the hops. Clove apparent in the aroma as well.

Taste: Cloves come out on top--not much banana at all which I think would have been an interesting complement to the orange, and there is a slight mandarin flavor more prominent in the aftertaste than in the sipping. I'm not sure if the spiciness is from the yeast or the hops, here.

Mouthfeel: Bitterness is clean and definitely appropriate for the style. Body is light, but a bit too watery.

Drinkability: Goes up on a hot day as it was a bit quenching, but definitely I could drink multiple ones of this brew.

Kind of a "gutsy" beer to put out. This beer was kind of strange to me. It poured a hazy yellow, and had a strong citrus (duh) aroma. The mouthfeel was too thin for me, and the taste was way to sweet. This reminded me of drinking a watered down glass of OJ, or some flat Faygo orange soda.

Smell is sweet wheat malt and crackers scent with a light scent of tangerines. Smells very clean no off scents and no hop odor.

Taste is slight sweetness and a wheaty malt backbone and slight flavor of oranges. More malty than the first taste hints at. The flavor is very mild and is simple and clean, medium neutral American wheat beer flavor, mild orange fruit flavor and a little bit of hop bitterness to clean the taste buds.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Very good Drinkability in a basic straightforward brew. This is simply an American wheat beer brewed to be mild and neutral to highlight the flavor of mandarin oranges; it does this very well. Mild and easy to drink this is a good beer for enjoying as a summer thirst quencher.

This Hefewiezen portends to have the flavor of mandarin orange, in reality the orang is not so apparent, but the beer is still flavorful. Slightly spicy with very subdued banana notes. A small bite of orange makes the beer more acidic than flavorfull.

12ozer bottle bought as a single from Oliver's Beverage in Albany, NY.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/8" bright white head above the golden brew. Head, what there was, disappears quickly, with lacing is minimal. Aroma is fresh oranges, with a noticeable undercurrent of wheat. Taste is as well oranges first, light light wheat character second. Lacking here. Mouthfeel is very thin, and it goes down, but I wonder why I would want another. There's better fruit brews out there, if that's what you want.

Ok saw this item at Trader Joes and just had to try it..comes in the usual Grant's brown 12 oz stubbie bottle..nice bright label.
Very cool looking beer poured into the glass..very unfiltered look..pleasantly hazy orang colour..small pure white head..good lacing.
Nice strongish aroma of tangerines etc..not too over powering though..some wheat undertones.
The taste after the initial malt is dominated by the mandarin orange..leaves a bitter after taste..its ok.
pretty good feel on the tongue..not too thin.
A good drink for the hot weather..I liked this experiment.

The beer starts out with a lot of promise. The body is a nice cloudy medium orange tan and the head is thick, soupy and white. The fizziness of many of the Grant's beers I've had is missing and that's a good thing. Good lacing. The aroma doesn't screw things up. There's a pleasant orange scent but little else. I think I might pick up a few esters and a little wheaty malt. The flavor isn't bad. It just leaves you wanting. Wanting more of the orange, wanting more banana and clove (being an American hefe, there's little to none of that) wanting more crisp wheat maltiness. More of something. It does live up to it's promise to be refreshing and easy-drinking. This idea could very likely work if it were a true German-style hefeweizen with plenty of the esters and clove (cloves and oranges go well together after all and my mom's apple salad was made with orange juice instead of cream and liberal with bananas and it was great) The only problem here is that the base beer is just too boring.

Surprisingly clear, yellow gold in color. The head is minute and the lace is spotty at best.

Strong orange blossom aromas--very sweet and floral.

This is a very sweet and fruity beer. There is a citric tartness in the swallow. Imagine putting in an ounce of Grand Marnier in a mild hefeweizen and you'll get the idea. Fairly thin in body and very high in carbonation.

I would describe this as a novelty beer. Pleasant and different but not exactly something that would become a regular fare.

Pours a yellow / orange color with a nice head. The aroma screams oranges and the wheat tones are light. The flavor is unbalanced as the orange flavors are way out in front of the wheat. No hops or other flavors are detectable. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing, but not crisp like other hefeweizens. Carbonation was weak. A slightly dry aftertaste is noticeable. Extremely drinkable, definitely a summer beer.

Poured a yellow gold with some strong orange highlights. Was quite hazy but you could see through on the side of the glass. Aroma of orange and what were most prevalent and carried over right through to the taste. A noticeable sweetness was present, which I assume came from the orange added to the brew. Quite refreshing and enjoyable.

A curious pick for review #150. I was looking for some unusual Halloween party beers and came across this one. A good thing I picked it up as it turns out - the gals didn't care much for the Rogue Dead Guy and they were okay with the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale, but loved this.

Appearance - hazy hefe cloudiness with a stylish and festive orange tint. Aesthetically a big thumbs up from the partygoers. Forms up a 1-finger head and reduces to a thin covering and crown.

Taste - what a refreshing play of flavors here. If it's missing anything, it's malt effect. The wheaty taste is immediate with some strong carbonation thrown in, adding a slight soda water saltiness. The mandarin flavor is very unique, they did well to keep the sweetness from turning this into a glorified wine cooler. Actually, the lack of sweetness gets slightly interpreted as a hint of soapiness, but not detracting in the least. Any hefe flavors get lost in the orangeness of this distinctive beer, so a minor deduction there, but I really don't mind. Slight oily finish and orange rind aftertaste with a bit of hops to help enhance that. Great job, Yakima BMC!

Mouthfeel is a little more sticky than normal hefes, light and a bit watery, but about right for the style.

Drinkability - This sixer disappeared in a *hurry*, and I knew this would be a good party pick. I enjoy this seasonal about as much as any I've had in quite some time.

Cloudly, lemon yellow in appearance, with a sizeable white head  hardly looks like anything other than the typical hefeweisen. The aroma, however, contains a rather sharp citric orange note. The flavor, too, starts off ordinary, beginning with traditional banana and wheat flavors, yielding to a sweet, almost nutty maltiness. Then the orange kicks in, and its all over  thats all you taste. I found this to be a bit overpowering for my palate, but its an interesting concept, and might do well with those with more of a fondness for the fruit than I.

beer pours a nice foamy golden color.. nothing off-putting or strange here. aroma is an artificial orangey, the way orange-flavored vitamin c pills smell. fruit overpowers beer aromas here. very clean and crisp with that initial orange soda/flintstones vitamin chalky citrus.. finishing dry and light with a definite witbier maltiness and a hint of alcohol. not the worst beer on the face of the earth, but i expected this to be more of an american fruity guilty pleasure type beer.. something that i could crack when it was hot as balls and the a/c is broken (like now) in place of a soda. not the case here.

oh, and this is by no means a hefeweizen. that aspect is rather misleading as this beer exemplifies nothing that i would usually see in a hefe.

Some fascinating characteristics, yet some flaws. Aromas are nicely orange-like. Little of the Wiezen aromas show. The beers apearance is exactly what one expects, however, I prefered better heat thickness and less carbonation. Flavors lack the creamy body expected in a Wheat. There are some good orange flavors in the foreground, but the bitterness that shows in the body are more likely from orange skins and tannins than from hops. Lacks spiciness, complexity, depth, and body. Sharp bittering keeps the beer from becoming as refreshing as expected.